PARIS (AP) Scott Lipsky has struggled to make a living while toiling on the minor tennis tours. Now the 29-year-old American is a Grand Slam champion.
Lipsky, of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Casey Dellacqua of Australia beat the defending champions and top-seeded Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 7-6 (6), 4-6, 10-7 Thursday in the mixed doubles final at the French Open.
You watch these matches on TV, and you wish that someday you can be there,'' Lipsky said.To be on the stage playing in a Grand Slam final and to come out with a win and to say now for the rest of my life that I'm a Grand Slam champion, it's amazing. It hasn't sunk in. Hopefully, eventually it will.''
He and Dellacqua, who were unseeded, trailed 6-4 in the super-tiebreaker but won six of the last seven points and won when Zimonjic's backhand passing shot sailed long.
After the trophy ceremony in Court Philippe Chatrier, Lipsky talked about grinding through'' playing tournaments on low-tier tours,not making much money and trying to eke out a living.''
Now he can split the winner's check of $145,000.
In the men's doubles semifinals Thursday, top-seeded American twins Mike and Bob Bryan lost to Juan Sebastian Cabal of Colombia and Eduardo Schwank of Argentina 7-6 (4), 6-3.
The Bryans were bidding for a second title at Roland Garros and an 11th Grand Slam overall. That would've equaled the Open era record set by Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.
We got a little careless,'' Bob Bryan said,and they made us pay for it.''
In the final, Cabal and Schwank will face second-seeded Daniel Nestor of Canada and Max Mirnyi of Belarus, who edged Zimonjic and Michael Llodra of France 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5).